The increased availability of network-capable computing devices has led to a wide variety of communication options for users. Users can exchange messages and content through various communication systems including e-mail, instant messaging, chat rooms, bulletin and discussion boards, file sharing applications, and blogs and other web sites. For example, instant messaging systems such as Internet Relay Chat (IRC), ICQ, AOL Instant Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, and Microsoft's MSN Messenger are widely used by many users on the Internet. Similar systems are available for messaging within local networks, as well.
Various arrangements of the previously-listed (and other) communication systems have been proposed for use in so-called “social networking” systems. Generally speaking, a “social network” refers to a group of persons or other entities (“members”) linked to one another through one or more types of social connections. Social networks are also commonly referred to as “friend-of-a-friend” networks, although social networks may of course include or consist entirely of entities linked by social connections other than friendship. For example, a social network can include members linked to one another by connections including common friendship, place or field of employment, place of education, place of residence, membership in a club or other group, or common hobbies or topical interests. Many social networking systems attempt to provide computer-based tools for maintaining, enhancing, and creating social networks.
For example, social networking web sites provide users with web space to create a profile and link to various other users designated as “friends.” See, for example, http://www.myspace.com, http://www.facebook.com, and http://www.friendster.com. Users of such sites can post messages and other content to web pages accessible to various parties of their choosing (for example, to “friends only” or to the public at large). Social networking sites may also utilize instant messaging and online chat rooms that allow for near-instantaneous communication between users.
Social networks and the interactions thereof may develop from a variety of different systems for establishing, modeling, and/or managing the social network relationships and corresponding infrastructure. In one particular example, social networks can be created for providing “limited viral distribution” of digital content among a plurality of invited users. A content provider may limit the extent to which selected digital content may be shared by establishing a “degree of separation”, or maximum level distance from a content provider the content can be distributed through a sharing network. In this example, a user wants to seed digital content to a select group of people and allow them to have freedom to spread the content further, at their discretion, and to users of their choice. However, certain controls on the social distribution network are established to prevent the content from going to the general public. The networked relationship that is created by sharing content from the originating user to other invited members creates a social network for purposes of sharing content in a limited and controlled fashion. Additional details regarding this particular type of social network and associated content sharing features is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/516,231, entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR RIGHTS PROPAGATION AND LICENSE MANAGEMENT IN CONJUNCTION WITH DISTRIBUTION OF DIGITAL CONTENT IN A SOCIAL NETWORK”, filed on Sep. 6, 2006, currently pending, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes.
Potential concerns may arise when a user's place (or level) in a given social network instance is not the optimal representation of the true or desired social network level. This situation may occur, for example, when a given user is connected in the social network by more than one path from an originating user, or content owner. In one exemplary situation, a user may be considered by one path to be two levels away from an originating user, but four levels away by another path. Often times having a greater separational distance (higher level number) in the social network will limit that user's functionality, influence or other features provided by the social network system.
In response to this potential limitation, a need exists for technology that optimizes a social network. In accordance with the presently disclosed technology, a social network optimization server utilizes previous network interactions, including social network instances, user parameters, content classification, user classification, distribution history, existing social network distributions, and other external data to optimize a social network. Based on user preferences, the system merges selected social network interactions into a single social network and then finds the optimal (shortest) path to the user to determine that user's level in the network. The system further optimizes the user's level by utilizing other influences such as user classification and previous distribution history of related content. The end result is that for current content distribution or other interaction, each user in the social network can be assured to obtain the highest level in the social network possible. This, in turn, gives the user the highest level of access, or other functional features provided via the social network.
Although various social networking technologies exist, no solution that addresses all the features and aspects of the present subject matter has been developed.